The perfect fall board full of German goodies
‘Tis the season for pretzel bread! Who says a board has to just have cheese and crackers? I’ve filled this Oktoberfest board with sausage medallions, crispy potatoes, and German quark (pronounced “kuh-vark”). Haven’t heard of quark? It’s a soft German cheese that’s a bit like a cream cheese-sour cream hybrid. It’s delicious with potatoes!
This board does take a bit of planning since it takes about 40 minutes to roast potatoes. Preheat the pan in the oven so the potatoes don’t stick, toss wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes per side. When they’re hot, sprinkle on chopped dill for a little German touch and dip in quark. Yum!
I fry up sliced sausage regularly for parties. I love sausage medallions as a hearty fondue dipper and skewered with cheese for an easy appetizer. They take just a couple of minutes and are delicious on pretzel bread with German mustard and butterkäse. The fun of this board is mixing and matching everything.
Honey is a very German thing. (Some of the best honey I’ve ever was in Germany.) I love spicy and sweet so one of my favorite bites on this board is the spicy three-pepper havarti with whipped honey and German bologna on a fancy cracker. If you’re never had German bologna before, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I buy whipped honey and keep it in a jar. If you can’t find it at a store, you can make your own or swap it out for regular honey or honeycomb on the board.
The shape of the pretzel brad doesn’t really matter here. If they have rolls, use rolls. Heck, if they have actual pretzels, that’s fine too! Be flexible and use what’s available.
Fruit is a nice touch on any cheese board. Apples are in season in the fall and are delicious with cheddar or on their own as a palate cleanser. I also tucked some black grapes around for contrast and snacking. I hope you love this fun October board as much as this German does!
Oktoberfest Board
Pretzel Bread
German Bologna
Assorted German cheeses: Butterkäse, cheddar, and havarti (I used a spicy three-pepper havarti)
German mustard
German sausage
Apples
Grapes
Whipped honey
Crackers
Roasted potatoes (recipe follows)
Quark (German cheese)
Dill for garnish
- Make the potatoes: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set jelly roll pan in oven to preheat. Slice Yukon gold potatoes half lengthwise, and then in half, then cut each quarter in half for wedges. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss onto preheated pan and roast for 20 minutes. Flip and roast another 15-20 minutes until crispy. Sprinkle with chopped dill.
- Slice German sausage into medallions and fry in a bit of oil until golden, about three minutes per side.
- Arrange everything on a board. Start with the large items: pretzel bread, sauces, and cheese blocks. Fill in with smaller items such as crackers and grapes. Tuck dill around the edges and serve while potatoes are still warm. Prost!
Did I miss any German goodies? Comment and tell me!
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Tschuss,
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